Category Archives: Tom Brake MP

Ashes to ashes: Only Boris can stop Viridor incinerator now

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Did Sutton’s LibDems last night grant planning permission to Viridor for its £1bn incinerator project at Beddington Lane just so that someone else could make the tough decision to block it? Contributing editor ANDREW PELLING says that nothing … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Boris Johnson, Business, Croydon Greens, Environment, Health, London-wide issues, Mayor of London, Outside Croydon, Paul Burstow MP, Planning, Simon Hoar, St Helier Hospital, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mayday! Croydon hospital on CQC’s staffing danger list

Posted on January 13, 2013 by

The NHS safe in their hands? So this is how the coalition works: in the General Election the Conservatives promise “no top-down re-organisation” of the NHS. Having failed to win the election, the Tory-led government then pushes forward plans for … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Mayday Hospital, Paul Burstow MP, St Helier Hospital, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sutton’s Tories in meltdown as they face “yellow wash”

Posted on December 11, 2012 by

The Liberal Democrats defied all national trends and their party’s unpopular part in the ConDem coalition to hold Stonecot ward with a 7.7 per cent swing from the Conservatives in last Thursday’s Sutton Council by-election. If repeated in the 2014 … Continue reading →

Posted in Lester Holloway, London Assembly, London-wide issues, Outside Croydon, Paul Burstow MP, Steve O'Connell, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Whitgift Centre | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Election questions: Marisha Ray, Liberal Democrats

Posted on November 17, 2012 by

The Croydon North by-election is on November 29, and Inside Croydon has put to candidates a set of questions. We will be putting the responses on the record, published without the artifice, interruptions and grandstanding of the usual hustings. We … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 by-election, Boris Johnson, Croydon North, CSEP, Education, Health, Housing, Libraries, London Road Traders Association, Marisha Ray, Mayor of London, Paul Burstow MP, St Helier Hospital, Tom Brake MP, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Halloween horror: How did your MP vote on the EU budget?

Posted on November 1, 2012 by

The ConDem government was defeated in parliament on the EU budget last night – Halloween – after 53 Conservative MPs defied their party over the issue. Tory rebels joined with Labour to pass an amendment calling for a real-terms cut … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Central, Croydon South, Gavin Barwell MP, Paul Burstow MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Tom Brake MP, Tony Pearson | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

East is East for Barwell after boundary changes change

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

As former MP ANDREW PELLING observes, the revised proposals for the parliamentary constituencies in Croydon and Sutton suggest that in this part of south London, at least, the LibDems have driven a hard bargain The Boundary Commission’s latest proposals have … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Fairfield, Gavin Barwell MP, London-wide issues, Paul Burstow MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Selhurst, Selsdon & Ballards, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘MPs are being chosen by tiny bunches of people’

Posted on September 27, 2012 by

Local democracy is in a state of terminal decay, through disinterest, apathy, disgust with politicians and general ignorance, with the effect that unrepresentative cabals are dominating the national political agenda, from Town Hall to parliament, often assuming power simply by … Continue reading →

Posted in Clare Hilley, Eddy Arram, Gavin Barwell MP, Margaret Mead, Michael Neal, Richard Ottaway MP, Sara Bashford, Steve O'Connell, Tom Brake MP, Tony Harris, Tony Pearson, Vidhi Mohan | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Promotions for Grant and Deighton; but nothing for Barwell?

Posted on September 6, 2012 by

The ConDem government’s week-long reshuffle has included much interest for locally based figures, with Helen Grant, who has a solicitors’ practice based on the Purley Way, getting promoted to a job at the Ministry of Justice. The Conservative MP for … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Olympics, Gavin Barwell MP, Health, Paul Burstow MP, Purley Way, Richard Ottaway MP, St Helier Hospital, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , ,

LibDem MP happy to put the Brake on Sutton seat changes

Posted on August 29, 2012 by

Tom Brake, the Sutton LibDem MP who could see his Carshalton and Wallington seat broken up in a merger with safe Tory Croydon wards, believes that the coalition government’s boundary changes are dead in the water. Speaking to Inside Croydon … Continue reading →

Posted in Croydon Central, Croydon South, Gavin Barwell MP, Kenley, Outside Croydon, Paul Burstow MP, Purley, Sanderstead, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Sutton shows its neighbours the power of volunteering

Posted on August 26, 2012 by

With Croydon Council failing to back any local summer fairs or concerts, ANDREW PELLING joined thousands of other residents from the borough at yesterday’s environmental fair in Carshalton Croydon used to be blessed with large community events in its parks, … Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Art, Charity, Church, Community associations, Croydon Council, Croydon Greens, Education, Environment, Gardening, Health, Jon Rouse, Music, Outside Croydon, Paul Burstow MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Sara Bashford, Selsdon & Ballards, St Helier Hospital, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP, Walks, Waste incinerator, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lording over democracy: what reforms we really need

Posted on July 19, 2012 by

Our report from the House of Commons on the Lords Reform debate produced several insightful comments from Inside Croydon readers. Reform of the second chamber may not be the most important matter facing the government, but it is significant because … Continue reading →

Posted in Gavin Barwell MP, Inside Croydon, London-wide issues, Outside Croydon, Paul Burstow MP, Sutton Council, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Barwell fails to whip up support for unpopular Lords reform

Posted on July 11, 2012 by

Former MP ANDREW PELLING on how our local MPs chose to vote on the controversial Lords Reform Bill last night No gumption in evidence last night from four of our local MPs in resisting the flawed options for reform of … Continue reading →

Posted in Archbishop Tenison's, Coloma, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Education, Gavin Barwell MP, Malcolm Wicks MP, Old Palace, Paul Burstow MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Schools, Tom Brake MP, Trinity School | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

MP Barwell admits: it’ll be Croydon East for me in 2015

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

Gavin Barwell, MP for Croydon Central, has declared himself as a candidate for the Conservative nomination for a parliamentary seat that does not exist (yet). Barwell told Inside Croydon that “I will apply for Croydon East”. This is a very … Continue reading →

Posted in Croham, Croydon Central, Croydon South, Gavin Barwell MP, Outside Croydon, Paul Burstow MP, Richard Ottaway MP, Selsdon & Ballards, Tom Brake MP | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blue-rinsed Sutton shows real reasons for boundary changes

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

ANDREW PELLING’s expertise as a polling tipster saw him call correctly the outcome of voting in Croydon this month, by a margin of 484 votes out of almost 80,000 cast for Labour and the Tories. So Ladbrokes will be reading … Continue reading →

Posted in Abigail Lock, Addiscombe, Andrew Pelling, Ashburton, Broad Green, Coulsdon East, Coulsdon West, Croham, Croydon Central, Croydon Greens, Fairfield, Gordon Ross, Heathfield, London Assembly, New Addington, Norbury, Selhurst, South Norwood, Steve O'Connell, Tom Brake MP, Waddon, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Latest vote results will help Brake decide which way to jump

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

When the ward-by-ward voting results from the London Assembly elections are released tomorrow, the music will begin in a game of musical seats for the MPs of Croydon and Sutton. ANDREW PELLING offers this guide to how things might be … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Pelling, Boris Johnson, Coulsdon, Croydon Central, Croydon North, Croydon South, Fairfield, Gavin Barwell MP, London Assembly, Paul Burstow MP, Purley, Selsdon & Ballards, Tom Brake MP, Waddon, Waste incinerator | Tagged , , , , , , ,